Route from Montpellier to Turin

This is a 74.1 km and 150m vertical gain stage across marshes and farmland, cycling along canals and getting a glimpse of the famous Camargue National Park.

Besides being a long stage, the route is flat and with a nice rolling surface.

Map

View on ORS

Quick break for water, snacks and sigthseeing

• Le Petit Travers – 18km
• Aigues-Mortes – 35km
• Port Gallician – 49km
• Château d’Espeyran – 65km

To visit

Aigues-Mortes

• The walls
• The Camargue
• The horses
• The salt basins

Saint-Gilles

• Abbey church of Saint-Gilles
• Château d’Espeyran
• Urban park

Yesterday we had our rest day between stages, with a workshop in the morning and a free afternoon, which was used for doing laundry, getting a haircut, and buying new tires for my Isaura Campaniça! She’s got new shoes now!

In the morning, we attended a talk about the work of Adrien Poisson (who accompanied us on that mini-bike, the Brompton), and we also heard from the Montpellier City Council, who explained how they managed to transform the city in five years—or just over that. They also shared their future plans to make the city even more bike-friendly, while also investing in public transport.

Today we left Montpellier early, heading toward Saint-Gilles.

We moved away from the coast. Some people even took the chance for one last swim during one of our first stops, right after passing the salt flats full of horses and flamingos!

The Camargue region is known for its flamingos (the largest population in Europe), salt, rice, and bulls.
Later, when we passed through the medieval town of Aigues-Mortes, we had the chance to taste all of it on one plate for lunch!

Incredibly, we ran into our German friend again—the one we met four days ago. Somewhere along the way, he was just waking up from a nap in the shade and ended up following us all the way to Saint-Gilles!

Today’s stage was the longest of the whole trip, with over 80 km. Time now for a well-deserved rest!

This is a 67km stage, with a 210m gain, leaving behind the Mediterranean sea and the flatlands of the Camargue.

Map

View on ORS

Quick break for water and snacks

• Beaucaire – 23km
• Mas-Blanc des Alpilles – 37km
• Saint-Rémy-de-Provence – 43km
• Mollégès – 55km

To visit

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

• Via Domitia

Cavaillon

• Cavaillon Cathedral
• Hôtel d’Agar
• Via Ferrata
• Cycling Bike Shop

Cavaillon, we’re here!

Today we mostly followed the EuroVelo 8 route to travel from Saint-Gilles to Cavaillon.
Once again, we rode alongside the Canal du Rhône à Sète — another massive feat of engineering, stretching 98 km and connecting to the Canal du Midi that we cycled the other day (that one is 240 km long!).

It was a beautiful ride between the canal and the nearby villages, along paths that wind through vineyards and cultivated fields.
At lunchtime, we stopped at a place where the dish of the day was simply listed as "Aioli." Yes, just that. But it’s not what you might think… apparently, it’s quite the event — you could only have it with a reservation, and they had over 180 bookings! And we’re talking about a village restaurant!

So, what is Aioli, beyond being the famous French sauce made from garlic, olive oil, and egg yolks? It’s a classic Provençal dish, on par with our Portuguese Cozido, but with fish instead of meat, seasonal vegetables, a bucket of garlicky mayo, and a pot of snails on the side!
I bet your mouth is watering just like mine was as I watched the plates go by — unable to try it.

After that, we continued on to Cavaillon, peacefully, under a beautiful sun that hasn't left us… yet!

In the distance, we can already see the Alps — which we’ll be crossing soon!

Keep pedaling! See you soon!

This is a 49.9 km stage, with a steady gentle slope totaling 298m gain, as you start your approach to the Alps.

Map

View on ORS

Quick break for water and snacks

• Mallemort – 19km
• Saint-Christophe – 35km

To visit

• Several monuments such as Saint-Jacques tower and Saint-Nicolas church: https://www.ville-pertuis.fr/decouvrir-pertuis/histoire-et-patrimoine
• Durance river: https://www.tourisme-pertuis.fr/tourism-professionals/la-durance
• wine tasting: https://www.ruedesvignerons.com/fr/domaine/330/chateau-paradis

From Cavaillon to Pertuis, just a short hop.

Today’s stage was shorter — 53 km — but just as beautiful.
Alex, from the University of Turin, had to leave us early, but he found a worthy replacement: Francesco, who will be with us until the end of this journey.

And what a journey it’s been!
The landscapes of Southern France are truly inspiring — no wonder Cézanne and his canvases became known around the world. But he’s not the only one who lived and painted here. Van Gogh also spent time in this region and painted his Starry Night here. And let’s not forget others like Picasso, Chagall, and Matisse.

Even for those who prefer mountains over the sea (like me), the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region (Maritime Alps) has it all: from the Mediterranean coast to the majestic Alps peeking at us in the distance.

And yes — the food lives up to the setting!
We cycled past the region’s famous vineyards, made a few wrong turns, retraced steps through closed roads and forbidden paths, and slowly built the perfect route — one we’ll soon share with you, complete with tips on food, places to stay, and more.

Tomorrow is a short ride before we catch a train to Briançon — where we’ll start our crossing of the Alps into Italy!
Will the sun abandon us there? Let’s see…

Bike 34km to Manosque with a climb of 794m gain to alpine territory, and then a 3 hours train journey to reach the actual Alps.

Map

View on ORS

Schedule & Tickets

Manosque to Briançon

• See for timetables and fares
• Rules for bikes on trains

Quick break for water and snacks

• Grambois – 12km
• Pierrevert – 27km

To visit

Grambois

• The Castles
• The church

Briançon

• Vauban fortress
• Church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Nicolas
• Prorel cable car

Today was an even shorter stage, under 50 km, but much tougher than the previous ones, as we’ve already entered mountainous terrain before reaching the Alps!

We caught a train in Manosque and are heading to Briançon! From there, we’ll start pedaling to cross the Alps.

Spring is without a doubt the best time to travel. The heat isn’t scorching, rainy or cold days are rare, and the scenery is always more beautiful.

Flowers everywhere! Perfect for my Isaura, who loves to travel all dressed up, as you know.

The fact that I’m here as a reporter adds an extra layer of effort—especially on stages like today’s, with climbs that double the strain and exhaustion.

Just picture this: we’re all riding at around 25 km/h. I speed up to get ahead, choose a good spot, stop in time, pull out the camera or phone and shoot the photos or videos I want of the group passing by... then I have to sprint to catch up with them again! And I do this several times a day!

If on flat sections, like those along the coast, it’s not too hard, in terrain like today’s... believe me, it really makes me sweat!

But I’d do it all over again. In fact, I will—because the Alps are right ahead!

Now, Briançon.

We arrived by train, I’ve already done some laundry, we had an amazing raclette, and I’m ready to climb the mountain into Italy!

See you soon!

For this stage, we suggest to Bike -Train – Bike, as follows:

• Briançon to Bardonecchia – Bike 32km (1400m)
• Bardonecchia to Collegno – Train 1h10
• Collegno to Tornino – Bike 9km (18m)

This is the passage across the Alps, with 32km (to Bardonecchia) and 1396m gain. The good news is that it’s mostly downhill for the last 10km.

Schedule & Tickets

• Bardonecchia > Collegno (€7,70 + €3,50 bike ~1h10)
• Bardonecchia > Torino (€8,50 + €3,50 bike ~1h25)

See https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html for timetables and fares.

Map

Briançon to Bardonecchia

View on ORS

Collegno to Torino

A few 8.9 km stretch with 18m vertical gain, approaching Torino.

Map

Quick break for water and snacks

• Val-des-Prés – 10km
• Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Bon Rencontre – 20km
• Bardonecchia – 34km

To visit

• Things to do

Turin, at last. This last stage was the most physically demanding, but without a doubt, it also offered the most breathtaking landscapes. From Portugal to Italy, the route was carefully planned to strike a balance between being pleasant and fast. As you’ve seen from the photos I’ve shared along the way, we were constantly surrounded by beautiful scenery, paths, and places, all touched by Spring, which always feels like the perfect “seasoning” for this kind of journey. I can't say a bad word about the first leg of the journey between Portugal and Spain. Even with more arid landscapes, it carries a powerful image of resilience and strength—of people who live and thrive in these harsh lands. Our border villages are well worth a visit. They're the kind of places that could inspire great films—like Monsanto, or others such as Penha Garcia and Monfortinho, whose stories are as old as the granite they’re built from. Catalonia offers some of the most stunning corners tucked between cliffs and the sea—scenes that once inspired Salvador Dalí. Provence is utterly charming—green and in bloom, with delicious food, and it’s easy to understand why so many artists from different disciplines have called it home. Now, if I had to choose just one day from the journey, it would be this one. The Alps hold the majestic presence of timeless giants, their snow-capped peaks watching over us as we slowly make our way across—with their permission. Water flows through every crevice in an aquamarine shade created by melting glacial ice, a hue unlike any I’ve ever seen. Climbing upward, we crossed paths with cyclists and hikers (or mountaineers) of all ages and paces. And on the descent—through tunnels, bridges, and winding curves—there wasn’t even a sign marking the border between France and Italy. Just a simple “Welcome to Bardonecchia,” the first village, with information now in Italian. Further ahead, several flags from different countries waved, reminding the world that man should not divide what does not belong to him—what he owes his very existence to. Or, as a phrase I found etched into an oyster shell in Grussain said: “There are no foreigners on this Earth.” On every journey we take, we are always given the choice to go “from point A to point B” quickly—or to actually make the journey. We didn’t go to Madrid, Montpellier, and Turin. We went from Coimbra to Turin, passing through every single meter of land that separates the two, by bicycle and train. Portuguese, Spaniards (with an Argentinian and a Colombian among them), French, Italians, a Swiss, and a Dutchman. We carried with us the smallest ecological footprint possible—and the greatest transformative experience imaginable. Now it’s your turn. Set out. There are no foreigners on this Earth.